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Thomas Massie Has A Bill To Bring Concealed Carry Reciprocity To Washington

Although the Congressional Baseball shooting took place in Alexandria, the Congressmen present were unarmed because they were abiding by Washington D.C.’s strict gun control regulations. If it hadn’t been for the Capitol Police, it could have been a massacre. Congressman Thomas Massie wants to prevent that sitting duck situation from happening again if a shooting ever took place in the Capitol itself. To accomplish that, he’s introduced a bill to bring concealed carry reciprocity to Washington D.C. Reciprocity will make permits that have already been issued by other states valid in the district as well. The bill would also allow non-residents to apply for their own concealed carry permits.

Other Republican Congressmen have already proposed legislation to grant themselves their own concealed carry permits but not extend the right to others. Thomas Massie doesn’t believe in granting government officials special privileges and freedoms that are are kept from the public. That’s why his legislation applies to all who come to the District of Columbia. Anyone with a valid concealed carry permit from another state that comes to D.C. would be able to exercise their right. As Thomas Massie said during the interview, “everybody has the right to defend themselves, that’s in the Constitution”.

Although this legislation will apply to all non-residents, that still leaves the native population of D.C. to consider. Thomas Massie will be working on additional measures to reduce the burdensome gun control that applies to those D.C. residents. The district has some of the most difficult gun permitting and ownership requirements anywhere in the country. Thomas Massie stated that only about 200 people (out of 670,000) have been able to complete the process to get a concealed carry permit. That is clearly an infringement on the Constitutionally protected right to bear arms.

Congressman Thomas Massie’s bill will face opposition but with a Republican controlled House and Senate it is possible it could end up on the President’s desk. Then it’s only a matter of whether President Trump still believes in ending gun free zones as he often claimed on the campaign trail.